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The end of summer and the beginning of autumn are a great time when we start to eat plenty of melons and gourds. Melon is leading among them, according to consumers( as, incidentally, watermelons).
Pleasant sweetness, juiciness, a whole squad of useful properties, satiety - all these are signs of a good melon. And how to choose a ripe melon, which will delight us with its taste and will bring only benefit? This will be discussed in our article.
Choosing the best melon on the counter
We begin the selection of the most delicious melon with its appearance. It should be whole, beautiful natural shade( depending on the variety), without dents from bumps, rotted areas, cuts and other damage. We pay attention to the smell emanating from the melon: it must be spicy, honey, with hints of vanilla, sometimes pears, pineapple. If there is no smell or a weak, similar to the aroma of greenery, then the melon, respectively, is green, and the desired sweetness will not be in it. The stem of a ripe melon is dry.
Take the melon in your hands and feel: it should spring up. This means the ripeness of the fruit. The hard surface of unripe melons, soft, on which the marks remain - overripe, having lost its taste and beneficial properties. Slapping a ripe melon, you will hear a dull sound. If it "sounds" loudly, then it would be worth it to still reach.
Let's summarize the main signs of a ripe tasty melon:
- She has a pleasant honey smell - you will not confuse him with anything. A good sign, if you come to the tray with melons and distinctly feel their fragrance.
- Elastic - when pressing a finger on the surface of the fetus, you can feel how it springs.
- Surface without glare, dents - most varieties have a yellow skin color.
- When struck, a dull sound, not a ringing or "sinking" sound.
Putting such a task, how to choose a good melon, take into account: it must be safe and sound! Spots, dents, cracks - places that are beneficial for the spread of bacteria. By purchasing melons with such surface defects, you run the risk of curing with gastrointestinal diseases.
For the same reason, buying halves of melons, pre-cut for convenience of sale, is also dangerous. The same principle should be followed by refusing to taste a piece of melon that a helpful seller can offer you in the market. Pathogenic bacteria accumulate on both the tasting fruit and the knife.
Choosing the sweetest melon variety
In order to buy a melon, we are looking for the sweetest, because it will be the most delicious for us. The taste qualities of this fruit depend not only on the degree of ripening, but also on the variety. So, how to choose a sweet melon on principle, a little orient in the varieties.
The sweetest, and most common, we have melons:
- "Kolkhoznitsa"( large, with smooth skin of bright yellow or greenish-yellow color with pronounced veins).
- Honey( oval-shaped, greenish or ocher of a pleasant color, incredible honey aroma and characteristic sweet taste).
- Pineapple melon( early, we see it first in the stores; the shape is oval, the skin is smooth).
- Musky( one of the smallest varieties, with an oval shape, characterized by pronounced grooves).
You can plant a new variety in your garden. By creating acceptable conditions and caring for him, you get your own harvest of this crop.
In order to try melons grown independently in their best time, they should be removed from the bush in time. How to determine the ripeness of melons in the garden, before you pick?
- The stem - dry or very sluggish.
- Fruits no longer grow.
- Peel color characteristic of the variety( remember that the side warmed by the sun first matures).
- Obvious pleasant aroma( some varieties may, if slightly rub the skin).
When you cut a melon from a bed, do not be embarrassed if there are some greenish areas in it. The fruit cannot simultaneously ripen at the same time, but the taste does not suffer from it.
Is the purchase of an unripe melon justified?
There is such a tradition among the people: to buy several melons at once, moreover with proseleny. They do this with the intention that the fruit, after lying for several days on the balcony, for example, will ripen and you will not need to go to the store once again. It would be more rational to begin to figure out: does the ripped melon ripen? The situation is as follows.
According to the practice of melons razvodchiki melon, quite a little underripe, may well reach the desired condition at home in a warm place.
This applies only to those cases where the melon is not quite ripe. However, this fruit will be slightly different in taste from those that ripened on the garden.
The variety, cultivation conditions and subsequent storage and other factors affect the ripening of a torn melon. Merchants use this property of melon so that it does not reach the buyer of overripe, hopelessly losing their wonderful taste.
A good place to buy
melons. Storage and transportation are important when it comes to melons. The best conditions are created in stores, supermarkets, marketplaces - places licensed trade in products. Your best insurance in such cases is sanitary inspection of trade places and conditions for the sale of goods.
Categorically you can not buy melons from street vendors by the roads! Exhaust gases, dust accumulate on the product, harmful substances are absorbed into the fruit through micro cracks on the peel. Such melons become unusable very soon, even if they were originally of excellent quality.
In conclusion, we say that do not be afraid to overeat melons. This delicacy is a warehouse of the necessary vitamins and microelements. Go to the choice of the fruit responsibly and prepared, then he will not disappoint you.
